Malaysia to face Pakistan in Sultan of Johor Cup final
Pakistan advanced on goal difference after drawing with Japan, while Malaysia completed the round robin with four wins.
Malaysia will meet Pakistan for the Sultan of Johor Cup title at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium on Saturday after finishing the round robin unbeaten. A 6-1 victory over Canada gave the Malaysian Under-21 side its fourth successive win.
Pakistan secured the other final place with a 2-2 draw against Japan. Both sides finished with seven points, but Pakistan advanced because of their superior goal difference. Malaysia won their earlier encounter with Pakistan 3-2 in the five-team tournament.
Canada took the lead against Malaysia when Chandi Navdip scored in the fifth minute. Hafiezuddin Ali equalised in the seventh, followed by goals from T. Naaveennesh Panicker in the 15th, Faiz Afzan Faizal in the 22nd and Rahuul Fazrien Nazrien in the 30th. Dheeressh Gunaseelan added another in the 41st before Safwan Salihe scored in the 45th.
Malaysia converted three of their 10 penalty corners. Coach Nor Saiful Zaini expressed satisfaction with the performance but said his players would need to mark Pakistan's skilful opponents closely.
Malaysia's other round-robin victories were 3-0 against China and 4-2 against Japan. This will be their third final appearance since the competition began in 2011: they won that year's title and were runners-up to India in 2013.
